


The Tiger Approaches

by aeternamente



Category: Lizzie Bennet Diaries
Genre: F/M, Gen, Pemberley, Team Figi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-09
Updated: 2013-01-09
Packaged: 2017-11-24 05:42:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/631056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aeternamente/pseuds/aeternamente
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Okay, so maybe I shouldn’t have (lied) told Lizzie that everyone at Pemberley watches her videos. I can blame it at least partially on my desire to sound like I’m in the know about the social goings-on at the company. But maybe a small part of it was just to see the look on her face (which is indeed priceless), and to exact the necessary revenge for the way she treated William before I can safely and in good conscience give in to my hope that they’ll get married and have adorable babies that I can spoil.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Tiger Approaches

**Author's Note:**

> The Lizzie/Gigi dialogue is stolen from LBD ep. 77, as written by Kate Rorick. Please don't sue me.

Okay, so maybe I shouldn’t have (lied) told Lizzie that everyone at Pemberley watches her videos. I can blame it at least partially on my desire to sound like I’m in the know about the social goings-on at the company. I’m channeling the perfect tour guide—cool and knowledgeable.

But maybe a small part of it was just to see the look on her face (which is indeed priceless), and to exact the necessary revenge for the way she treated William before I can safely and in good conscience give in to my hope that they’ll get married and have adorable babies that I can spoil.

The uneasy expression on her face continues as I BS my way through an explanation about the company conducting a thorough background check. (I sound like I know what I’m talking about, right? It’s hard for me to know because  _oh my God, I’m actually talking to Lizzie Bennet._ )

“So…” Lizzie responds shakily, “you know about… my relationship with your CEO, William Darcy?”

Relationship? Please. “Or, your lack of one.” I feel a little guilty once these words come out and I hasten to reassure her, telling her not to worry about it.

_Buzz, buzz, buzz._

What’s this? Fitz promised not to interrupt unless it was an emergency, so this had better be good—

_“the tiger approaches”_

Okay, that qualifies. Oh, crap, what was I supposed to say?

 _“Just make something up about tour guide duties,”_  Fitz’s voice echoes through her memory from their final prep session from earlier today.

So I invent a fictitious group of kids I’m supposed to be looking after and promise to return with access passes and a parking permit.

“I didn’t bring my car,” she says.

I don’t even pay attention to how I’m responding. Something that makes me sound cool and knowledgeable. Like the perfect tour guide. Okay, seriously, I have to go. I take my leave with one last smile.

I traverse the distance of a two hallways and a flight of stairs before reaching our rendezvous site (a small utility closet on the second floor).

“He’s here? Why is he here? He’s still supposed to be in LA!”

“Hey, calm down,” Fitz says with a hand on her shoulder. “He’s not here yet, but he  _will_  be in about ten minutes.” He pauses. “Would it be so terrible if… if they met now?”

“ _Yes,_ ” I insist. “Seriously, Fitz, she’s still really freaked out about all of this. Aaand I may or may not have made her even more freaked out by saying that everyone here watches her videos.”

Fitz bursts out laughing, and I have to shush him. He suppresses it to a muted chuckle. “You know, people never believe me when I say you have a vindictive side to you.”

“She  _did_  break my brother’s heart.”

“True.”

“So what are we going to do?”

Fitz’s brows scrunch up in thought. “We’ll have to run interference.”

“Okay, okay,” Think. Think. “So it’s Friday afternoon, and it’s really kind of overkill for him to be coming here with, like, two hours left in the work week.”

“Good point.”

“So why don’t you go take him out for coffee or something? Tell him that he should take it easy after his flight.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” he says with a nod. “Ready?” He sticks his hand into the space between us, and I cover it with my own before we chant, “Go Team Figi!” (Quietly. We don’t want to be overheard.)

We’re about to exit the closet when I remember. “Oh, did you get the passes for me?”

“Of course!” Fitz draws them out of his bag and hands them to me. “And I got a form from legal so she can film her videos on the premises.”

“Oh my God, why didn’t I think of that?” I grin up at him. “You’re the best.”

“It’s just what comes naturally.”

They part ways and I return to my charge, who is now musing over whether or not William’s staff actually likes him. Once again, I feel guilty about lying to her before. I can see the chain of logic that led her here: William’s staff knows about and likes Lizzie’s videos. Lizzie has spent months insulting William on the videos, but they’re okay with that.  _Ipso facto_ , they must not like him.

Problem is, none of this is actually  _true_.

Wow, I kind of actually suck at being a tour guide. She’s probably wondering who hired the weird little girl to show people around the company.

I brush all of this off for the moment and sit down next to Lizzie with a bright greeting. I give her the access badge and the form, leaving out the parking pass, because I just remembered she said she didn’t need one.

Lizzie thanks me, then fixes me with a penetrating stare (watching the videos in no way prepared me for being on the receiving end of it). “About that, actually, you were saying something before you left to go deal with kids…?”

Crap, she probably  _does_  think I’m not a good tour guide. I stumble through an explanation that’s true, as far as it goes. I do work here part time (when I’m not at school), and I did design the badge (my first real design project here, and I’m inordinately proud of it), but through the whole thing, I’m trying to make myself out to be older, more professional than I really am, which doesn’t sit right with me, and I can feel my nerves simmering to the surface as I speak.

“Oh, that’s—that’s not—” She falters, looking at the badge. “Although that’s… really cool!” She presents my badge to the camera with strained but genuine smile and I can’t help but smile in return.  _Lizzie Bennet likes my badge design!_

But she’s still troubled. “Um… about people being fine with my videos…?” she asks.

Oh, right,  _that’s_  what she’s worried about. “Like I said, don’t worry about it.”

Even though I think I probably shouldn’t have said what I did about people watching her videos, I still feel a small amount of satisfaction watching her squirm and struggle for words. I mean, I still think she’s awesome… but even awesome people sometimes do not-awesome things, and when said not-awesome things have been done to my brother, well…

“I-I’m a worrier, that’s my nature so, umm… how many people here watch them?”

I’m tempted to keep up the act, and in fact I start out by saying most of us watch the videos… but then I feel bad about that, and amend the statement to some of us… and then because she still looks nervous and pained, I admit that it’s really just me. “But I think they’re really great and… hilarious.”

Wow, Gig, wrong word choice. “Hilarious?” she asks, obviously put off by the idea.

But parts of her videos really  _were_  hilarious, I mean, the impersonations of William? I busted a gut. Every. Single. Time. I launch into an explanation. “Yeah, well I mean, the way you portray William—” Crap! I’m supposed to be a random employee. “—sorry,  _Darcy_ , that is…” Wait, should I have said  _Mr._  Darcy? That would have been more professional. Oh, screw it. “…in your videos. It’s just… a completely different person than the one I—” Seriously, Gigi, what is wrong with you? “— _we—_ here—know.”

That. Was a disaster. She probably thinks I’m secretly dating him or something.

Okay. Ew.

“So, Darcy is… well-liked, then?”

“Of  _course_ ,” I assure her.

_Buzz, buzz, buzz._

Thank God for Fitz.

_“the tiger is on the prowl. meet us in the lobby”_

I make another excuse about chaperoning kids and make my escape.

William is waiting in the lobby with a smile and a hug. “This isn’t one of your usual Pemberley days,” he observes. “Don’t you usually practice tennis on Friday afternoons?”

I shrug, trying not to raise any suspicions. “Thought I’d change things up a bit.”

“Fitz is dragging me away from my duties to get some coffee—though why we can’t get it here, I’m not entirely sure—”

“I told you, you need to let yourself take a break.”

“—but at any rate, you’re welcome to come.”

“Yeah, sure!” I agree with a smile. “Just give me a sec, I have to—” Crap, I need an excuse.

“Uhh—Gigi’s been helping one of the new interns get settled in,” Fitz explains.

Nice one, Fitz. Almost, but not quite, true. “Yeah, I just need a few minutes to make sure she has everything she needs.”

“Why don’t I come?” William offers. “I’d like to meet her.”

“No!” I say, perhaps a bit too forcefully. “I mean, that’s really sweet, William, but she’s—she’s really,  _painfully_  shy. I think seeing you might be a little too much for her right now.”

William frowns. “I hope I’m not  _that_  intimidating.”

“No, of course not! It’s just… well, you being the CEO and everything… it’s a bit much to deal with on the first day.”

William is still frowning, but he gives a small nod.

“Be right back!” I say with a grin as I hurry away, back toward where Lizzie is still filming.

I decide to give her the parking pass I’d held back before because… you never know.

“Well, thank you. You really don’t have to go through all this trouble, especially if you have to wrangle kids.”

Nonexistent kids? Or does William count? “No, it’s no problem. I just want to make sure you’re comfortable and have everything you need.”

She seems to have relaxed considerably since I set the record straight about the videos. “Well, I definitely am and do.” She gives a real, relaxed, genuine smile that makes me really really want her to be my sister.

“So, did I do a decent job as your tour guide?” I’m a little afraid to ask, but she immediately breaks into a kind smile.

“Yeah, you were great,” she said. “Are you looking to do this more often?”

“Oh, no,” I say, making up an excuse about the fictional group of kids.

She laughs. Did I just share a joke with Lizzie Bennet? “Back to graphic designing?” she asks.

“Yeah, I really like my desk.” And it’s time to go, before William comes in to meet the new intern despite my protests, or something equally crazy. I make my excuses and am about to head out, but I just can’t resist saying, “You’re really cool, Lizzie Bennet. See you around?”

“I look forward to it,” she says, and I think she really does. “Sorry, I don’t actually think I caught your name.”

“Oh! Uhh…” My name. Maybe she won’t recognize it if I tell her? Who am I kidding? She’s  _Lizzie Bennet_. She forgets nothing. Why do I have such a unique name anyway? There are a million Williams in the world, but I had to be  _Georgiana_. But there’s nothing for it now. “It’s… Georgiana.” I go for the full version, hoping maybe she won’t be familiar with that, but the startled look on her face tells me otherwise. “But most people call me Gigi,” I add, so she doesn’t start thinking I want to be  _called_  Georgiana. Aunt Cathy’s the only person who actually  _does_  that.

“Gigi,” she says, the tension creeping back into her voice. “As in… Gigi Darcy?”

“The one and only.” Seriously, I may actually be the only one in the world. Lizzie looks pretty freaked out again, but I guess a little more punishment won’t hurt her. Actually, since this time, her discomfort is not based on a lie, I find I can enjoy it a little more. “Hey,” I say brightly, “let me know if you need anything else.” I smile and wave at the camera, and stand up to leave.

“Okay.” Lizzie’s voice has gotten unnaturally high. I stifle a giggle. “Bye… Gigi…”

I make my way down to the lobby once more, where William and Fitz are waiting. They are deep in conversation about the meetings William had in LA, and I have to give Fitz several significant glances before he remembers that we’re on a mission.

“Coffee!” he exclaims. “We can talk about all of this over coffee.”

“All right,” William agrees. “Let’s go.”

He puts an arm around me, and we head toward the door. I glance back at the lobby and am startled to see Lizzie there, eyes wide and mouth gaping. Our eyes meet for a moment before she backs away and hides behind a pillar.

I can’t say that stage one of the operation has gone  _without a hitch_  exactly, but as far as I can tell, it does seem to have been a success. Fitz comes up on my other side as we exit through the doors into the cool January air. We grin at one another.

On to stage two.


End file.
